The government put the officially pacifist nation's navy on standby pending Prime Minister Taro Aso's final orders, which reportedly will come at least one month later.

"Attacks by pirates in waters off Somalia are a threat to the international community including Japan, and it is the issue we have to address with urgency," Aso told parliament in a policy speech.

"We will quickly take feasible measures," Aso said.

The conservative prime minister wants Japan to play a greater role in global security. US, European and Chinese vessels have all been dispatched to the waters off Somalia, where pirates attacked more than 100 ships last year.

China's mission marks the first time in recent history that the country has deployed ships for possible combat beyond its territorial waters.

Japan and China have often jostled for influence although they have been working since 2006 to repair their historically tense relationship.

Shotaro Yachi, a diplomat close to Aso, said that when he visited China last year, a senior official told him "we will send marine vessels and are ready to cooperate with Japan if you plan to send vessels as well."

"This could be a good example of Japan-China cooperation," Yachi told Jiji Press.

Industry leaders have been pushing Japan to take action, hoping to spare Japanese ships the burden of sailing around Africa. Japan, which relies heavily on exports, has been hit hard by the global economic crisis.

But Japan is restricted by its post-World War II pacifism, with domestic law allowing the navy to use force to protect only ships flying the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese passengers.

Aso has called for a new law to allow Japan to protect foreign vessels as well, so that it can be part of international operations to tackle the piracy which has dealt a costly blow to the global shipping industry.

But Aso may struggle to get the law through parliament, where the opposition controls one house and is rising in the polls ahead of elections later in the year.

Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada, issuing the orders to military brass on Wednesday, said the mission would at first focus only on protecting Japanese interests.

"This is only a stopgap measure," Hamada said.

"I believe the Maritime Self-Defence Force should engage in anti-piracy activities under a new law," he added, using the officially pacifist nation's name for its navy.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is apparently divided over the new legislation, with some agreeing on the need for the anti-piracy mission.

The DPJ is allied with the smaller, left-leaning Social Democratic Party, which staunchly opposes any military role for Japan.

DPJ secretary general Yukio Hatoyama said last week "we want to cooperate" with smaller opposition parties when considering the Somalia mission.

The previous US ambassador to Japan, Thomas Schieffer, had urged Japan to take part in the Somalia mission, saying that the close US ally should not get bogged down in legal technicalities.

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